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Orcombe Point

250 – 200 million years ago: Vast deserts cover whole continents. The Red Rocks of East Devon are laid down.

Sidmouth & East Devon

250 – 200 million years ago: Vast deserts cover whole continents. The Red Rocks of East Devon are laid down.

Westonmouth & East Devon

250 – 200 million years ago: Vast deserts cover whole continents. The Red Rocks of East Devon are laid down.

Cliffs of sandstone at Burton Bradstock Dorset

200 – 145 million years ago: Rocks formed at the bottom of the Jurassic seas as conditions cycled between deep and shallow water.

Cliffs of mudstone near Kimmeridge Bay Dorset

200 – 145 million years ago: Rocks formed at the bottom of the Jurassic seas as conditions cycled between deep and shallow water.

Cliffs of Portland limestone the West Wiers Portland

200 – 145 million years ago: Rocks formed at the bottom of the Jurassic seas as conditions cycled between deep and shallow water.

Fossil forest near Lulworth Cove

145 million years ago – a forest of conifers, tree ferns and cycads grew on low lying islands. This was soon killed by rising sea levels that replaced the forest with a swamp.

The Wealdon Beds in Warbarrow Bay

140 – 110 million years ago – As Dartmoor erodes rivers carry sediment west to be deposited in thick layers.

Chalk cliffs at Handfast Point

110 - 65 million years ago - sea levels rise creating a vast tropical sea that covers most of Europe and the pure white limestone of the chalk is deposited.

Photo by Alan Holiday

The Lulworth Crumple

25 million years ago – rocks are buckled and folded by enormous earth movements originating in the collision between Africa and Europe and the creation of the Alps.

Ladram Bay East Devon

25 million years ago to 10,000 years ago – erosion and the ice ages carve and shape the coast and landscape we know today, including beautiful and iconic landforms.

Chesil beach Dorset

25 million years ago to 10,000 years ago – erosion and the ice ages carve and shape the coast and landscape we know today, including beautiful and iconic landforms.

Durdle Door Dorset

25 million years ago to 10,000 years ago – erosion and the ice ages carve and shape the coast and landscape we know today, including beautiful and iconic landforms.

Fosiil Ammonite

For 200 years the discovery of fossils on the Jurassic Coast has offered glimpses of life from the age of the Dinosaurs. New discoveries continue to be made.

Fossil Ichtyosaur

For 200 years the discovery of fossils on the Jurassic Coast has offered glimpses of life from the age of the Dinosaurs. New discoveries continue to be made.

Weymouth Bay pliosaur at the Dorset county museum

140 – 110 million years ago – As Dartmoor erodes rivers carry sediment west to be deposited in thick layers.

Cliffs at Lyme Regis

Landslide at Lyme Regis

The World Heritage Site continues to evolve as erosion exposes the geology, uncovers new fossils and maintains the natural beauty of the coastline

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Kimmeridge Bay: A Marine World

An
International Name

The rocks at Kimmeridge Bay were once the floor of a deep,
tropical sea rich in pre-historic life.
They formed in the Jurassic period, 155 million years ago.

The cliffs
and foreshore contain a very thick sequence of Kimmeridge Clay. The rock layers are like the pages in a book
and the fossils they contain tell a story on each page. Each rock layer provides a window allowing us
to look back through geological time.
The sequence of rocks here provides such an excellent record of this
part of the Jurassic that geologists have adopted Kimmeridgian as the term for
rocks of this age all around the world.

Important
fossils have been found in the Kimmeridge Clay, but they need an expert eye and
time-consuming preparation. Hammering is
strictly forbidden here and you may only collect loose fossils from the beach.

Rocky Ledges

Harder bands
of limestone within the Kimmeridge Clay create a series of rocky ledges that
run out to sea. As a result, the Bay
boasts some of the most accessible marine wildlife in the UK. The stone ledges make it easy to view life on
the shore an in the shallow waters, and there is safe snorkelling for the more
adventurous. Kimmeridge Bay
is part of the Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve, managed by the Dorset Wildlife
Trust. The Trust runs the Fine
Foundation Marine Centre in the bay, providing an exhibition, aquarium and a
programme of events.

Oil in the
rocks

BP's ‘nodding
donkey' on the cliff top has been producing oil since 1959. The oil formed in rocks that were laid down
on a stagnant sea floor. The rocks were
buried and organic matter within them was ‘cooked' to form oil and gas. More oil lies in the northern part of
Purbeck, and under Poole
Harbour. This is the Wytch Farm Oilfield - the largest
onshore oil field in the UK. It is difficult to see the carefully
landscaped oil wells.

The geology of
an oil field

Oil fields form where the structure of the rocks
creates a trap for oil generated in the rocks below. At Kimmeridge the oil is held in the layer of
rock called the Cornbrash Limestone which can also be found around Osmington
Mills.

The Jurassic Coast: A Mighty Tale

News

With the Jurassic Coast filling with visitors for the busy summer season, new deckchairs, windbreaks and beach shelters are appearing on the beach near the Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock in West Dorset.

Natural England has revealed plans for improvements to the South West Coast Path between Lyme Regis and Rufus Castle on the Isle of Portland. The proposed 67km route would connect with the section between Rufus Castle and Lulworth Cove, where work is currently underway.

This two hour session starts up at the Centre with a 20 minute talk from the Centre Warden about the rocks and fossils of Charmouth and how to find fossils on the beach. The group then heads out onto the beach with the wardens and spend the rest of the session looking for fossils.

This two hour session starts up at the Centre with a 20 minute talk from the Centre Warden about the rocks and fossils of Charmouth and how to find fossils on the beach. The group then heads out onto the beach with the wardens and spend the rest of the session looking for fossils.

Hurray! It's KidsArt Wednesday. Morning and afternoon printing workshops for 7 years plus. Please bring old clothes as we will be getting messy!

Morning workshops - Jurassic Textures. Use materials found on the Jurassic coastline to learn traditional methods and create a variety of prints suitable for framing.Time: 10.00am - 12.30pm. Price: £15 or two siblings for £25.

Afternoon Workshops - Fossil Printing. View, touch and learn about different fossils. Sketch, design and create some jurassic coast inspired artwork that you can take home, all in an afternoon.Time: 1.30 - 4.00pm. Price: £15 or two siblings for £25

Come along to Jubilee Gardens, by the Clock Tower, overlooking the Seafront.

We have activities for all including :

Fossil Box Dig - be a geologist looking for fossils!

Colouring and crafts of dinosaurs

Go for a walk on the Timeline Path in Cliff Field Gardens (starting from Jubilee Gardens)and discover 21 fossils of the Jurassic Coast.

Explore Seaton Labyrinth offering a maze that you can follow all the way to the centre and back again.The path follows the evolutionary story of coastal geology with pebbles and ammonites from the Jurassic Coast.

Join us between 11am and 2pm for 'Fun in the Sun!'

Education

The Jurassic Coast offers unparalleled opportunities for cross curricular learning both inside and out of the classroom.